Tourists in Svalbard fined after polar bear attack

Czech fined €1,120 for not taking the right precautions
The leader of a group of Czech tourists has been fined 10,000 kroner (€1,120) for not taking the right precautions against polar bears on Svalbard. The group was camped prepared to watch the solar eclipse when they were attacked and mauled by a bear during the night on March 19.
The group had rifles and pistols and shot the bear just in time. It was later tracked down and killed by professional hunters.
The archipelago’s local environmental laws state that visitors must have the necessary knowledge and take precautions against polar bear attacks to protect both people and animals. This is the first time anyone has been fined for a polar bear attack in Norway, The Local reports.
“They had not put in place the necessary safeguards,” Assistant Governor Jens Olav Sæter told the local newspaper Svalbardposten. “There was only one tripwire, which was set too high, and the bear went under it. Nor did they have a polar bear watch at the time.”The Local